• November 30th, 2023
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Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the federal Department of Transportation quietly published its long-awaited final rule on highway emissions assessments, which will, for the first time, require states to track greenhouse gas emissions on their roads, while also requiring them to set biennial goals to reduce those pollutants. Critically, the rule also outlines exactly how agencies should calculate GHG levels, which will make it easier for Americans to compare their communities' climate progress against their neighbors.

Currently, only 24 states and the District of Columbia even attempt to track roadway emissions, and they do so in a variety of ways, resulting in what New York City nonprofit Riders Alliance called "a hodgepodge of incomplete data from across the country."And without more scrutiny, the transportation sector has gradually become the leading source of greenhouse emissions in the U.S., with passenger cars and trucks responsible for the largest share of the pollution (thanks in part to their increasing size).

More than 100,000 people submitted comments in support of the new GHG requirement (which the National Resources Defense Council says may be the most ever for a transportation rule).

The rule does face some opposition, with at least one senator already vowing to overturn it, but even if the opponents succeed, advocates are hopeful that the rules will inspire transportation leaders at all levels of government to take a hard look at the toll that their transportation decisions are taking on the planet.

Source: Streetsblog